ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. present — a gift
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. present — there
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com